Everything is about the path and process.
It is also about the shoes you walk that path in.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Class #1

I just realized I haven't posted anything about my first honest to goodness, hot-Baptiste-yoga class!

One word. Wow.

That sums it up. After drinking a vat of water between the studio and home, I felt amazing. My arms continued to burn long into the night. I was a little worried about heading into strength training with MaxBob the morning after. But rest assured, everything was okay - there might have been just a little extra burn while doing squats and leg press. That's all really.

I went to the first class of the beginner series - I had little clue of what to expect. From the heat, from the teacher, and from the philosophy. The class is broken down into segments, each class building upon another, until by the end of the series a full flow is practiced. There are many levels in the class from those who have never been on a yoga mat to those who have been practicing for a few years. You know, it is always good to start at the beginning for two simple reasons:

1. If you have some knowledge in a subject, you will get that much more out of the basics and be able to refine the fundamentals. I'm reminded when I took the Fabrication#1 class out at Revere Academy this past January. I went in fairly advanced, knowing a lot of the fundamentals, because of this, I was able to focus on the tricks to work more efficiently and cleanly in the studio.

2. It's good to get a new perspective, challenge your own perceptions. (This is actually quite similar to the point above.)

To be honest, I was also a little disappointed that there wasn’t more emphasis on the philosophy. But, it can be argued that a large part of this practice is about personal discovery. This is not something that can be taught on the first night of an hour and fifteen minute introductory class. Go figure. A bit like asking a novice painter to paint a piece on the same level as El Greco, or Caravaggio, or Monet, or Manet…well, you get the picture.I'm missing the second class in the series tonight, due to softball, but I'm certainly going to a class tomorrow and the next beginners series class this coming Tuesday.

1 comment:

the Mathematician
said...

Portside has spirited the Artist and I to workout. We're not ready for Yoga, but we bought MBT shoes. What a workout! The manufacturer suggests that you wear them for 30 minutes the first couple of weeks... they're right. I tried them for an hour once this week and my legs and abs feel like I've been using the weight machine.

Just some inside info: Portide's love for shoes must come from her grandmother... another lady who loved shoes and knew the right shoe, for the right occasion.